204 articles
Nic Jones
Nic Jones hasn't been the same since he first heard the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and Anthony Braxton's quartet with Kenny Wheeler around 40 years ago. He lives in Oxfordshire, quietly and curiously.
Reviewed: Ben Crosland Quintet | Jason Robinson | Francesca Han
Ben Crosland Quintet: North York Skies
I'll admit to knowing nothing of the titular skies, but given that the music inspired by them is, unusually...
Reviewed: Caktus x Ojkos | Ole Matthiessen
Caktus x Ojkos: Øyeblikk
In an age in which first-world universities are seemingly churning out jazz graduates in big numbers we should consider not only...
Reviewed: James McGowan Ensemble | Nicola Meneghini | Shadowlands
James McGowan Ensemble: Threads Of Life
The discussion of this music amounts to dealing with but a percentage of a whole given that the work...
Reviewed: Empirical | Yvonne Rogers
Empirical: Like Lambs: To The Slaughter
In his note for this one Soweto Kinch highlights how he considers the long-form suite that comprises this album...
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Reviewed: Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra | Leverton Fox | Jed Levy & Phil Robson Quartet
Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra: Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra
I know nothing about the current economic viability of big bands but if anyone forked out to...
Reviewed: Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio | Mark Lockheart, Huw V. Williams & Jay Davis | Steve Wilson
Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio: Ash
This is the third album by the Nomad Trio. I don't know if the personnel has been the same for...
Reviewed: Joe Henderson | Laura J. Marras | Wartel, Wartel, Wartel Collins, Landæus
Joe Henderson: Consonance - Live At The Jazz Showcase
By now, the beyond-casual reassessment of a musician's work ought to be second nature. The retrieval...
Reviewed: Woody Shaw | The Descendants Of Mike And Phoebe | QOW Trio
Woody Shaw: Love Dance
For me Woody Shaw will always embody the culmination of a trumpet lineage that starts with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro...
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Reviewed: Dave Adewumi | Kris Davis & The Lutoslawski Quartet | Bjorn Meyer
Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath The Silence
Trumpeter Adewumi comes with endorsements from the likes of pianist Jason Moran, a musician whose first album had...
Reviewed: Rich Brown | Vincent Courtois | Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rich Brown: Nyaeba
Gone surely are the days when the "success" of a solo instrumental album was measured by how the musician managed to cover...
Better Do It Now, Before You Die Later
As of 2025, Sonny Simmons - saxophonist, player of the English horn and composer - embodies a strand of the jazz tradition that's been...
Reviewed: Harper Trio | Billy Hart | Mark Sherman
Harper Trio: Dialogue Of Thoughts
Given the state of this world I guess we could use all the pleasant surprises we can get. In this...
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